4 month mark

This week was luar biasa sperti biasa! Haha. 

Had a Siang Ketemanan (Friendship Afternoon)
in place of Family Home Evening, Ha Ha

Tuesday we went to find a long inactive member but we forgot to bring her address. We only remembered the street and her name (which is just the same as knowing nothing in Indonesia) so we asked around until we found someone but turns out she was the wrong Ibu! 

Ibu's family

BUT she was sooo excited to have us there and is Christian but new to the area and looking for a church and friends. She has been to the ward in Jogja once during the week with a friend just to look around but so supports our messages of Christ and has a way strong testimony of him and of prayer. LOVE THIS MISSION! Who knows what will come of this but it just feels good when things like this happen. I am grateful for a companion who is just a missionary! A great, hard-working missionary! It makes this work soooo easy to just do! That night we went to find another inactive member which was less eventful and kinda a let down. But we also had a surprise appointment with Alexcia which always boosts my spirits! Days like this I am just pinching myself that I'm on a mission! Then we got home... THE RAT! There was a trail of blood from the rat! I sent a picture where you can see his footprints. After using a ton of bleach and mopping up, my only consolation is that the blood maybe means he is dead/dying? This is not the end!

Sorry this is so gross! Bloody footprint from rat. I hope it's dead!

Wednesday we visited one of my favorite investigators Widanarto because I see so much potential in him! Then english at CPT's Club and WML meeting. Then we headed to a new member's apartment. She had 9 friends there and we taught them all about the restoration! It is like a religion club and they were very accepting of our beliefs. So fun to teach a bunch of college students who have testimonies of Christ. Miss that kinda thing :) And who doesn't love cake for dinner? But the "20 minute" bike ride to her place was actually an hour and 20 minutes while following her riding the scooter so we were dead when we got home!

Charlah's "Christian Club" friends

Thursday: no such thing as a typical morning. Went on a 40 minute search for batteries because we couldn't turn off the AC in our room since the batteries died in the remote and it is way expensive to have the AC on! We only use it when sleeping. Had a good planning session then taught Alexcia again (she is needing a lot of support this week through a dozen trials and tribulations that are appearing out of no where). Her definition of faith I loved-- "Faith is daring to obey what you promised." Made me really think! We four sisters had a lot of bonding time too and I just love them all dearly! PS don't use the brace anymore, it's all good!

Friday: I had a dream that I had just gotten home from my mission and telling stories about Indonesia and in my dream I started to cry because I realized I would never ride a bike through the streets of Indo with a companion again. When I woke up it really stuck with me and still makes me misty-eyed. I am going to miss this sooo much. I can't afford to lose a day of this calling! Then had UCP which is always a highlight of my week. We met with Widanarto again and gave him the baptismal commitment! He said if he knows this is true then of course he will be baptized but he doesn't know yet. Oooo it makes me think of Star Wars "The force is strong with this one". He is going to be a general authority someday I know it! We also met a man who asked me for english directions to the train station then said he met missionaries two weeks ago in London and he has a Book of Mormon. We are the 2nd seed in his conversion! Then we paid for a bus we didn't ride, because our appointment fell through. But without going to that bus stop we wouldn't have met the guy from Singapore who asked for directions!

Saturday we visited the school of an inactive newish member and she started to cry when we told her we wanted to fix up some things there. Hey, I'm just excited to paint desks! I love painting! Taught Mbak Hastu then met an investigator who is in the hospital. We found a referal who actually doesn't want to learn from us. All sorts of cancelled appointments but we kinda all happened to meet up at the church as a district at the same time and had the usual dinner, Sedyo Mulyo's Pecel Lele and Roti Bakar. I don't know what I will eat when I go home!

Sunday: 4 month mark! LP (relief society) was quite interesting and a little off track, maybe not so doctrinally correct but no worries. We talked about priesthood and I love the priesthood and I get so excited when we talk about it. I get to support that power, that authority on the earth today. So cool.  Alexcia helped us teach the Winoto's grandpa and then came with us to deliver the Sacrament. She is a missionary. She already has started saving money for her sons' missions since she can't serve! Her testimony is getting stronger every second and I learn so much from her. But in a whirlwind of events we spent the night trying to find somewhere for her to sleep. Atin let Alexcia stay there and they have become better friends now. Everything is in the Lord's power now.

I'm mashing potatoes. Learning to masak (cook) perkedel today.
Mashed potatoes? How about stone ground

Today! We visited a member and Elder Wiradi's uncle who taught us how to make Soto and Perkedel. Mmmm! Perkedel is like a potato pancake and soto is soup with a million "layers" to it. Then we met Atin and Alexcia for lunch with the other sisters and learned how to make cap cay and noodles and tempe/tahu and all that good stuff. We met Ibu Marta again and I am excited to see her family at the temple someday (they just don't know about that yet). I gave them a Book Of Mormon today too. Then we met the Elders for some McDonald's ice cream cones (I feel so weird there. It is like one of the nicest restraunts in Indonesia...) and tried to not listen when one of my favorite OneRepublic songs came on.

McDonald's.  It's a little expensive but not going to lie,
loved having ice cream with french fries

That's my week! I am just trying to take advantage of every second I have right now. I was reading some conversion stories this week and it makes me so humbled to know that God is helping people have a change of heart every day. I know that if Heavenly Father wanted, everyone in Indonesia would be baptized. Yet they aren't. In fact they are persecuted for even thinking about getting baptized. Everyone here thinks the church is the church of Satan. Yet here we are like the armies of Helaman to bring the world His truth. This mission is so different than anything I imagined or how I picture any other mission. But I had this realization that this is the one time in my life, I know EXACTLY where the Lord wants me to be because he told me. I didn't even have to figure it out, it was assigned to me. So here I am and the work here is getting done. One person at a time. I'm just a tool here for that work.

PS I read The Fourth Missionary, and it exactly mirrors my thoughts from my first month here.

Alma 44:4

Tried making french toast

And made crepes. The pan was a little hard to work with. I'll keep trying.

And made our family favorite "cheggybrowns"

My friend from BYU, Elder Foutz is training my friend from Ogden, Spencer Smith
This mission work connects so many; small world isn't it?

Selamat malam keluarga yang terkasih! Bagaimana kabar?

 In response to your letter. First off, smash burger is amazing good! Congrats on the paintings, hope they hang it on their front door or something haha. Kasihandelu (pity on you) for the wisdom tooth tale and twisted ankle! Congrats on the track meet Jos... little tornado! Andrew congrats on your patriarchal blessing! One tip-- I read mine every time the sacrament is passed so I at least read it regularly and it helps me so much! Always noticing new things and gaining new perspectives, so read it on a schedule! Jacob have fun with soccer and school ya? Samuel too, you look so old!

LOVE YOU ALL! Share your light with the world yeah? Give 'em heaven!

~Sis Sheff

PSS weirdest food of the week... Honestly the drinks here are weirder than the food... so I had some weird rice/gel/coconut drink and also had some corn flavored candy that was wacko.